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THINKS, David Lodge. Chapter 1. Short denotative analysis. He is in his office in the campus of the University of Gloucester it’s Sunday the 23rd of February at 10.13 a.m. and he is testing his recorder he thinks about his previous relationship with Isabel and his conference in San Diego;
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THINKS, David Lodge Chapter 1
Short denotative analysis • He is in his office in the campus of the University of Gloucester • it’s Sunday the 23rd of February at 10.13 a.m. and he is testing his recorder • he thinks about his previous relationship with Isabel and his conference in San Diego; • He thinks about sex and death;
Characters • The narrative voice; • Isabel Hotchkiss; • Carrie and not named children; • Laetitia Glover; • Helen Reed; • Marianne.
Setting • Narrator’s office in the campus of the University of Gloucester on • Sunday the 23rd of February at 10.13 a.m. and at 11.03; • Unstable weather
Narrative technique The speaking voice records his thoughts on his recorder Stream of consciousness (William James)
New language and info • What ever it was; • Speech recognitor; • I wonder where; • To typist; • To slink off; • Squash;
THINKS, David Lodge Chapter 2
Short denotative analysis • Helen lives in a maisonette but she wants to go away • She does the first lesson at the university and watches Ghost • She goes to Richmond’s party and meets the guests there • The next day she goes to the church even if she doesn’t believe in God
Characters • Helen Reed and Ralph Messenger: protagonists • Jasper Richmond: Helen’s friend • Russell Marsden: a teacher • Paul and Lucy:Helen’s children • Marianne Richmond: Jasper’s wife • Simon Bellamy: a student • Rachel McNulty: a student • Martin: Ralph’s friend • Oliver: Jasper’s son • Guests at the party • Carrie: Ralph’s wife
Setting • Maisonette • Richmond’s house • College
Narrative technique • Diary • Direct style • Descriptions • Free direct style
THINKS, David Lodge Chapter 3
religion death and life after death cognitive sciences Short denotative analysis They are looking at exhibition of paintings They decide to have lunch together They speak about They have a walk They visit the Brain (He explains her its meanings)
Characters Main character: professor of Cognitive science Ralph Helen Jim, Carl, Kenji Professor Douglass (Duggers) Stuart Phillips Main character: novelist and professor of Cretive writing Ralph’s students Ralph’s collegue Systems administrator
Setting TIME: Wednesday of the second week of the semester SPACE: University’s Staff House The Brain In the University Dining Room Campus
Narrative technique • Third person narrator • Present tense • Dialogue between Ralph and Helen • Short descriptions
Storyline They speak each other for the first time Message Altercation between the characters: 1° chapter: Rational and scientific thoughts 2° chapter: Irrational and sentimental thoughts VS 3° chapter: Discussion and synthesis
Peculiar features • Scientific names • Scientific but simple explanation • Ralph’s and Helen’s different cultures and points of view • The third chapter is the synthesis of the first and the second
New words MEANING: Undergraduate Postgraduate PhD a university student who has not received a first degree. a student who is taking advanced work after graduation Doctor of Philosophy = Dottorato di Ricerca VC Vice-Chancellor Contents Thomas Nagel (What is it like to be a bat?) Prisoner’s Dilemma Searle’s Chinese Room Frank Jackson’s Mary Schrödinger’s Cat Experiments American writer, known for his novels and tales about conscience and morality Henry James
THINKS, David Lodge Chapter 4
SHORT DENOTATIVE ANALYSIS • problem in the Brain • Ralph listens to the tape • religious reflection • what someone can do, if the partner dies • problem solved: it was a mouse
CHARACTERS • Ralph • Helen Reed
SETTING • Office • Staff House
NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE • stream of consciousness
MESSAGE our consciousness is like a private room (The privacy of consciousness, the secrecy of thought)
SPACE AND TIME: • Wednesday, 26th February, 6.51 p.m.
NEW LANGUAGE AND INFO WE GATHERED: • to belch = ruttare • wiring = impianto elettrico • riveting = appassionante • utter =completo • huff = arrabbiato • inherit = ereditare
THINKS, David Lodge Chapter 5
SHORT DENOTATIVE ANALYSIS • CHAPTER V • Helen Reed remembers events of the previous day • consciousness as a problem • architecture of the mind • shopping in Cheltenham • chat at Messenger’s house.
SETTING: • Cheltenham; • Messenger’s house.
MESSAGE: • to represent consciousness is a problem.
NEW LANGUAGE AND INFO • WE LEARNED: • aprons= grembiule, gironzolare, indugiare • grief= dolore • to loiter= intransitive verb; attardarsi • to poke= attizzare
THINKS, David Lodge Chapter 6
Denotative Analysis • Ralph Messenger is in his office testing his new elaborate software which recgnizes your voice while you’re speaking • he’s talking about his private thoughts trying to recall an experience distant in time • first memory: the loss of his virginity with a married older woman GOAL: find out how our mind recomposes memories after many years
Characters • Ralph Messenger • The Richmonds (Marianne) • Carrie Messenger • Martha Beard • Tom Beard • Helen Reed
Setting • TIME • Sunday, the 2nd of March, 8.45 a.m. • Messenger at the age of seventeen • SPACE • Messenger’s office at University of Glouchester • a ship farm in the Dales
Narrative Technique • Lodge uses once againthe stream of consciousness as a first person narration to tell about Messenger’s thoughts • he uses lots of dots so that the text is free from connectors or linkers and he can easily move from one topic to the other
From the Reader’s Point of View STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS TO RECALL MEMORIES old details remind us of something new and move our mind from one thought to another can we reconstruct our older memories when our mind is vulnerable to thoughts more recent? YES
New words amount of gibberish to snog loo g-string glee to cuckold parole senza sensosbaciucchiarsicessoperizomaallegriacornificare
THINKS, David Lodge Chapter 7
Short denotative analysis reading her student’s work-in-progress Thinking of her daughter Reflect about the “relationship mother-daughter” Deciding to have a e-mail address Helen Reed tells some of her activities: buying a swimming costume Invitation to Ralph’s hot tub Thinking about Jean-Dominique Bauby (a French writer) Visiting Gloucester Cathedral Giving instructions to her tenants
Short denotative analysis The speaking voice Helen Ralph Many students of Creative Writing (just mentioned) Jean-Dominique Bauby (just mentioned) A French journalist Helen’s daughter Lucy (just mentioned)
Setting TIME: From Monday 3° March to Saturday 8° March SPACE: Her maisonette In the University A shop in Gloucester Gloucester Cathedral The Brain Campus bookshop
Narrative Tachnique • First person narrator • Diary • Past tense • Accounts followed by reflections
Storyline She is improving her relationship with Ralph. She is getting acclimatized at work. Message LITERATURE Fiction J.-D. Bauby The writer invents lives and thoughts Eyelid code: importance of literature.
Particular features • Importance of reflections • From banal daily experience to existential problems • Meta-literature • Different lifestyles: Relationship between mother and daughter • Renting one’s house • Independence of young people
New words and concepts LITERARY GENRE MENTIONED BY HELEN: chronological record of events • Chronicle • Satirical comedy • Memory monologue • Tale • Novel • Gritty historical novel • Bildungsroman • Interlinked short stories • Multi-viewpoint portrait • Fabulation ironic and sarcastic comedy deriding and denouncing human vice monologue about what the speaking voice remembers narrative relating the details of some real or imaginary event; story fictitious prose narrative of considerable length and complexity rough historical novel ("novel of formation") novelistic genre: the author presents the psychological, moral and social shaping of the personality of the protagonist Interconnected short stories description or analysis of a person or thing from several points of view Novel violating standard novelistic expectations about subject matter, style, temporal sequence and fusions of the everyday and fantastic
THINKS, David Lodge Chapter 8
Arrangement of the work • Denotative analysis • Characters • Setting • Narrative technique • Message • Language and info
Denotativeanalysis The eighth chapter is arranged into four novels: What is like to be a freetail bat? In the novel the writer tells the story of a clony of bats, and their nocturn life. Life in the cave is unbridled, made of sex and fun. What is like to be a Vampire bat? In the novel the writer tells the story of what a vampire must to do in order to survive. What is it like to be a bat? In the novel the writer tells the story of a bat which had been a man. in his previuos life . So the topic is the one of transmigration of the soul. What is like to be a blind bat? The novel tells the story of a totally blind bat; bats are usually able to distinguish shapes, but the bat in the novel is unable to do this any more. It does not know the reason, but he probably feels to have been punished.